First
by Jesserella
Summary: An experiment into wraith and human genetics leads to a new life form. She struggles with her identity as she is swept up in the conflics between the humans in Atlantis and the Wraith.


"First"

may contain spoilers for Atlantis series two and the start of season three

The darkness suffocated her mind, her memories elusive, all she had was the now. Her skin felt damp . Submerged in water, she felt its pressure pushing against her whole body. She tried to move, her arms pulled against firm restraints. Unable to move or see, panic swelled within her. She struggled more, out of frustration her body squirmed and bucked within the tank.

Cold grey eyes observed this with curiosity. Hooded dark sockets swamped them.

"She's awake again" he said to no one in particular, his smooth voice showing no emotion.

A nameless technician looked up and over at him, he was monitoring her, everything she did was watched and recorded.

" she's getting stronger, I think this one may survive"

Excitement filled the commanders grey eyes, sparkling with scientific curiosity.

"let me know of any other changes" his firm precise footsteps broke the clinical silence of the room, as he turned and left.

A tapping echoed in her mind, she followed it, through her thoughts and memories, allowing her to connect to them, to let them lead her to the truth. Grey eyes she thought, the memory of them shivered through her, plucking the nerves through her back. Whispers of sensation crept through her. Those grey eyes looked down at her, '_Hello'_ they had said. Suddenly something in her had awoken, a darkness, it swelled in her centre, giving her strength, her uncertainty and fear was swamped with sudden confidence. Those grey eyes smiled at her, smug and foolish, she felt the sudden urge to reach out to him. To see the shock in those eyes as she spread her long fingers around his thin delicate neck. To see them bulge as she squeezed his life from him. "_This is wrong_" she had thought, "_yes_" replied the darkness within her, "_this is what we want, what we need"_ it continued. It showed her those grey eyes again, though this time when she reached out, it was not for his neck. She pressed her hand against his chest. His ribs prominent under a thin aged layer of skin. She felt it recede further as his life left him and filled her. Though fearful of the darkness, she could not hide her enjoyment, his life pooled in her, like a narcotic it gave her strength. Her lips curled into a small smile.

The technician looked at her, his attention caught by her expression. A smile, "_that was new_" he thought. Something about her expression chilled him. He was about to call the commander when something else caught his eye. A swirl of red within the water, her hands were clenched, pulling tightly against the restraints, so tight they were drawing blood. He couldn't allow her to be harmed, she was far too valuable.

By the time the commander arrived they had already removed her from the tank. Her amber eyes glittering up at him. They almost glowed with her anger. He recoiled slightly at the look she gave him, though her eyes followed him, fixed on his own. Her darkness surged as she saw him. Her fingers ached to reach out to him. He feared her, _"good",_ the darkness thought, but part of her suddenly experienced doubt. Her instincts were fuelled by her fear, but part of her mind was against that, a small area of calm within her emotion. She focused on this point, her breathing steadying and her body relaxing. Her eyes remained fixed however. Burning anger replaced by calm indignation. She was so new, so young, she wanted to know, the question that she found whenever she searched her mind.

"What... what am I?" she asked, to the surprise of the people surrounding her.

" She can talk" said one of them to another

" that's unexpected, I wonder if she understands us" said another

"yes... answer me" her frustration rasping her voice and raising her volume. Grey eyes approached her again.

" You, you are something,...very special... the first really..." He could see her frustration increase, " please, bear with me" he continued, trying to ease her temper. " We made you, here... " he gestured around the lab. " you are a wraith, human hybrid" her eyes showed no recognition, she didn't understand what he meant. The darkness whispered to her, _"he's trying to confuse us, to trick us" _its creamy voice sickly and seductive.

"why?"

Her response seemed to take them by surprise, grey eyes looked at the other men stood over her. To her surprise he leaned over her and loosened her restraints. She stiffened, she felt the darkness become excited. Grey eyes looked at her, they seemed to look right through her, uncomfortable under his piercing stare, she looked away.

"I will help you, but... but you must trust me." He nodded at her and she repeated the action.

Free at last, she stretched out her arms, the darkness urged her, she resisted. "_no"_ she thought, at least _"not yet"._

He took her, leading her by holding her forearm. He took her over to a wall length mirror. For the first time in her short existence, she beheld what she looked like. Her amber eyes, pools within her pale skin. She looked from her reflection to grey eyes. They weren't so different. Her smooth silken skin, bearing two small slits on her cheeks and a small, yet prominent nose, more human than wraith. Framing her face was a mass of burning red hair, its short cut giving her an elven look.

"Were different" she had all ready known this, but felt that by saying it out loud, it might mean something. It didn't.

"Yes... you see, I'm human, your half human, but... your also half wraith"

"Wraith?" she looked at her reflection thoughtfully

"Um, well, they are a race that feed of humans, they hunt us" his voice raised slightly, " they keep us like animals, " She noted the anger in his voice, " they feed on us, Kill us." he finished, his face slightly contorted with his bottled rage.

"You created me" she stated

"Yes"

"Why?"

"Well... we thought we could... well that you could.. put a stop to it, that we could create something...a form of wraith... but one that didn't require to feed on humans," this caught her attention, she turned from her reflection and faced him.

"You were wrong" She reached into the darkness, felt the hunger re-emerge within her. She struck him so quick, his only expression was of surprise. His life faded under her touch. Despite the strength it offered her, something within her was still starving.

Her mind wandered, she had already seen so much. From the lab in which she was created, strewn with the bodies of those who worked there. The stars she had seen as she travelled through them, until she had found something new. A planet.

The darkness stirred, she felt it too, something drawing her closer. She reached into her pocket for the tasteless ration bar, tore a large chunk from it and chewed will little satisfaction. She laboured to swallow the dry chunks, and at least felt the pain in her stomach lesson. She had drained the life of every crew member, felt their energy flow within her, yet as strong as it made her, nothing touched the hunger within her stomach. After days of tearing pains through her abdomen, she had come across food, human food. It touched the hunger, abated it, for a while. As much as it sickened her to eat it, she had proceeded, gradually the pains had stopped. For the first time, her body felt balanced. Now as she took her first step onto solid ground, she felt it again, stronger. There was something here, something she was drawn too.

Pinned, the last thing you want on a simple reckon mission. They had been completely shut off from the gate. Forced to retreat in to an area they all knew was impossible to escape from. Surrounded on all sides by stiff rock faces. Bearing clumps of plant life that dangled down and gave a little cover to the five men hiding beneath them. Major Lorne looked out from beneath his cover. He could see several of them. White hair, dark cloaks, heavy boots, those creepy masks they wore. He counted at least ten, but there could be more. If Matthew's hadn't caught a partial stunner in the leg he would have taken the chance, instead they had retreated, called for backup and waited. He hated waiting, his fingers flexed around his gun barrel. He felt useless, and yet the more he waited, the more confused he became. The Wraith hadn't advanced, they also waited, they simply stood their, intimidating and frustratingly out of reach. Whatever they were waiting for, he hoped backup got here first.

She froze as voices seemed to surround her. They joined the voice of the darkness, showing her terrible things, urging her towards them. Wraith, she thought. The darkness writhed in its excitement, yet she held back, unsure. With the voices came images, humans, they all looked alike to her, she felt the hunger of the wraith who surrounded them, felt their frustration at waiting, _what were they waiting for?_ Suddenly one of them looked at her, she felt it see her, its curiosity peaked momentarily. She wrenched her thoughts away from him. She trembled, the dense woods that surrounded her offered her little protection from those who could sense her. The sun was reaching the end of its cycle, casting long shadows through the gnarled twisted trees. Their leaves hanging lifeless as the breeze dwindled. Calm and quiet, she forced her mind to quiet, her body to relax, perhaps they won't find her, she thought hopefully.

She turned, her light footsteps barley disturbing the ground beneath her, as she made her way back to the ship. A loud sound broke the fragile silence, she had never heard the like of such a thing, similar to the engines of her ship as she landed. Curiosity filled her, as birds took flight in fear, away from the source of the sound, she made her way towards it. A great pool of blue light, shining within the darkness, casting waves of light across the ground. She looked at it with wonder from behind the cover of a particularly old tree. Shadows passed across its surface, humans, five of them. The large one looked towards where she was, she recoiled slightly, back into the darkness of the woods. He took a step towards her, she inhaled sharply.

"Ronon" said one of the smaller humans, " what is it?"

"Nothing" he said gruffly, turning away from her and rejoining the others.

"There are definitely Wraith here" said the small woman as they walked away from her. She missed the comments of the other two men as she sunk further into the forrest, away from the humans, away from the wraith.

She was curious about everything, and yet everything scared her. The Wraith were more alien to her than she had ever imagined, and the humans, well, they were only food to her. _Or were they?_, she wondered, _could they be something more?_

The slits in her amber eyes, pierced through the darkness, focused and unmoving. She watched intently as the humans drew near to the wraith. It had taken her till half way back to her ship before her curiosity overrode her fear. She had moved silently through the still darkness. As she approached she felt the wraith more strongly, their patience fading as their hunger increased, but they bore it. She once again wondered who, or what they were waiting for. She got as close as she dared, and from the relative safety of a large rock, she watched.

Major Lorne clicked off his radio. Shepherd and his team had arrived as backup, and were now making their way to his position. Something in him felt apprehensive, this whole situation didn't feel right. The Wraith knew they would be coming, they were waiting for them. They chased them here, but then stopped. The stalemate had now gone on for several hours, to the increasing frustration of Lorne and his team. They were out there, as they had been for so long, he shivered, this seemed very unusual behaviour for Wraith.

Sheppard approached Lorne's position, he kept his face impassive, but was concerned about the behaviour of the wraith. Even in the green light of his night vision goggles he could make out the cowardly expression on Dr McKay's face, he sighed inwardly, Rodney was never good at hiding his emotions. Dr Beckett seemed equally worried, though bore it more than Rodney. He had thought bringing Beckett was a good idea, before he knew the whole situation. After the update from Lorne, he had been tempted to send him back. Ronon was the only one who seemed unaffected, he seemed almost excited at the prospect of killing some wraith,_ not exactly unusual for him_, thought Shepherd. Teyla was the calmest member of his team, following him slowly through the glowing green undergrowth, her senses tuned to their environment. He imagined she must be sensing the wraith more strongly now. She didn't show it.

She watched as the humans she had seen earlier, surrounded the Wraith. She felt something within her grow cold. None of this felt right. She once again opened her mind to the voices of the wraith. She couldn't pick out individual voices, or individual words, but a feeling came through strongly. They had stopped waiting, whatever it was that they were waiting for. It was here. Shrieks filled the air from all directions. She heard shouts from the humans followed by a quick succession of shots from either side.

Lorne immediately stood from his position, he heard Ronan's weapon go off several times. Confusion increased as the Darts approached, Lorne opened fire, though unaware of exactly where Shepherd and his team were, he fired mainly into the ground around him. With nowhere to go, he and his team were easy targets for the dart. They were swept up into the dart, as it flew over, sweeping the ground with light. Shepherd and Ronan advanced quickly and precisely, weapons raised and firing, Wraith fell around them, but others still approached them, menacing in the darkness. Rodney shrieked somewhere behind them, while another dart passed over them.

She watched intently, despite her fear she couldn't look away. Gradually the noise lessened as the darts circled. Casting out white beams and grasping the humans. Soon there was no noise in the clearing. The Darts joined formation and streaked away leaving the remaining wraith. With her concentration fixed on the events that had unfolded beneath her she had lost track of her position. She crept away from the clearing, suddenly eager to be back in her ship. Her impatience rushed her, she swept noisily through the woods. She saw something out of the corner of her eye, mist, _or was it something more_, she wondered. She stopped, aware of how vulnerable she was, then she saw him. He stepped calmly out of the woods as though he belonged within them. His amber eyes sparkling with curiosity as he stood before her.

Her body shivered uncontrollably as she lay there. Her face pressed firmly against the cool floor, hoping to quell the heat in her head. _He fired on me_, she thought to herself. Her surprise at seeing him had been short lived, as he had pulled out a weapon and stunned her before she could react. _He shot me_, she thought again. She opened her eyes and instantly shut them again. The light burned into her head, increasing the thump of her headache. Her nerves flared and her limbs felt heavy.

" He shot me" she growled through the pain. She had felt something, for barely a second when he had looked at her. But now that was gone, she was furious.

She forced herself to move, one small movement at a time until she was standing precariously. Lights danced enticingly in front of her eyes as she looked around her cell. She took a step forward only to find her strength leave her. Her body impacted the floor hard. But she was already unconscious.

She couldn't tell how long she had lay there. Eventually she had woken. The pain had lessened as she slept. Exhausted and disheartened she lay there in self pity. The darkness fumed within her, frustrated at her inaction. She had that part of her under control now, no longer ruled by her instincts, she found herself unsure of herself. It was several moments of laying there, breathing in the dry musk of the floor, before she noticed she wasn't alone.

He sat there calmly, observing her with patience. The expression in his eyes softened her anger at seeing him again. They looked at each other in silence for a moment.

" I have to apologise... for shooting you" he said quietly, she felt that he meant it. Unsure of what to say she merely nodded slightly at him. He held her attention like none of the other wraith she had seen had. Something in him was different, his voice was unlike theirs, less hostile and frightening. Even his appearance seemed not entirely like the others. _He's... more like me_, she thought, slightly excited.

" I didn't expect you to react so badly to being stunned" he said carefully in his quiet tone, a hint of sadness in his voice.

She had so many questions, and yet all she could do was look at him. Her mind looking for something appropriate to say.

"The humans?..." was all she could think to ask. He sighed and looked away, after a second he tiled his head towards her.

" You feel hunger?" he asked. The darkness jumped into her thoughts, and with it the emptiness of her stomach she struggled to push it back down.

"No" she lied, looking away. Her mind was haunted with the faces of the men she had killed, their last words, their screams. She knew he was still looking at her, could almost feel his gaze on the back of her head.

"You can't stay here" was his reply. His voice clearly showing frustration. " They only let me stay because...well... because I'm still useful, but no matter how useful you are, she, she won't tolerate your presence. Your a threat to her, in more ways than you could know.

They were once again looking at each other. She was experiencing fear, but it was unlike before, she was afraid to be parted from him. She felt an easy calmness when she was with him. They had an affinity, she was sure of it, she didn't want to loose that.

" What will happen to me" she asked him, her fear coming through clearly in her voice.

He stood up and looked out of the cell.

" Don't worry, you won't be harmed,... I won't allow it. You should eat, your very weak." He turned back to her and smiled slightly.

"No", she replied strongly, she wouldn't be swayed. The darkness swelled, whispering and tempting her.

"I understand" he said, looking away, she felt that he really did." It was difficult for me too at first, still is sometimes, but you need to, to survive."

He leant down towards her, her eyes widened as she looked in to his. He swept a fiery lock of hair from her forehead.

"I'll bring you some human food nor now" he whispered " It will sustain you for a while, but,..." he trailed off, as he heard footsteps in the corridor.

" How much, how much do the others know about me?" she whispered to him.

"They know a little, I've managed to keep the specifics of your... DNA from them, it would be far too dangerous for you if they knew."

She sighed inwardly, the feeling of rejection settled in her like ice. The footsteps grew nearer. He stood up again and moved towards the webbed bars on her cage. A tall wraith came in to view, faceless behind his mask. He motioned to a living panel on the wall and the bars recoiled into the wall. Her visitor went to leave, but turned to her as he did so.

" I will bring a human for your consumption later, think about co-operating" he said mock menacing, " By the way, " he added, "my name is Michael". Then he was gone, walking swiftly up the corridor and out of sight.

She decided during the hours in which she paced her cell that she hated being confined. Impatience and frustration gnawed away at her. She continually glanced around her cell in disdain. Though behind her anger lay something else, something she was determined to squash, sweep it into the corner or her mind and leave it there. Disappointment, he hadn't returned. She sat down hard, disturbing the dust into climbing swirls. Her inability to effect her fate was tiring, all she had known had sought to control her, had held her and owned her and denied her action. She had escaped once, she thought, allowing herself to relive the short lived accomplishment. She closed her eyes and brought herself back to that world, where she had really been free. The imagined wind stirred her, soft and warm she allowed it to ease her frustration. She would not allow herself to be swept up by others any longer. She was in control now. Her thoughts were disturbed by a noise outside her cell. Startled at how close someone had come without her noticing, she drew herself up and back in one quick fluid motion. Despite her alarm, she felt her heart flutter, had he returned after all?

Long white hair, matted in to dangling locks, framed the contorted face of a wraith male. The was no sparkle in his eyes, no softness in his face. Michael's curious look was replaced by a mild disgust. An angular tattoo cut across his cheek adding to his menace. He was flanked by two faceless guards, one of which activated the device to open the cell. Without a word, the wraith male turned from her and walked up the corridor. The two guards clasped their hands around her forearms and brought her struggling after him. Their grips, pinching her skin uncomfortably, as they pulled her reluctantly forward. Her heals dragged as she tried to slow them. There was no doubt in her mind what they wanted with her. Michael had made it clear that she was in danger here. Panic ran through her limbs, they stiffened and struggled, but had no effect on the grip of the two wraith, as they dragged her with them.

They came to the last in a series of doors, striped with veins and as translucent as skin, they folded to let them pass. She looked around at the chamber they had entered. It was larger than any other room on the ship she had seen. Darkness hid the corners of the room. Making the air appear solid, hanging around her, suffocating the light. The Wraith brought her to roughly the centre of the long chamber, waiting there in silence, their body's still and strong within the heavy darkness. Something moved within the dark at the end of the room, her heart thumped hard, her breathing caught and she struggled harder against the unyielding grip of the wraith. The power in this room was overwhelming, it tore at her resolve, like a panicked animal caught in a trap, she pulled with no effect. The darkness fed on her fear, her panic, it grew, but she knew now that she wasn't like them, the darkness was not in charge of her.

" Do you know why you're here?" asked a silky voice from within the darkness. " leave" said the voice again, firm and commanding. she felt the wraith beside her relax their grip and leave the room. Unable to think, to take action, all she could do was stand there, hoping that the voice from the dark stayed within the dark.

" Your going to kill me," she replied, her voice quiet. The voice laughed, an unpleasant sound, that seemed to come from all around her.

" Of course... but, not yet" The voice confirmed her fear, though its tone remained unthreatening. " First, you must tell me... how did you come to be?" The silky voice flowed, enticing her, sickly sweet, twisting through her thoughts.

"I.. I don't know" She replied, feeling foolish, for not having learned more about who she was.

"Liar" spat the voice from the darkness, its pretence of kindness falling away to reveal the cold malevolence behind. The owner of the voice swept from the darkness. Her amber eyes glinting dangerously. She passed the meters that separated them smoothly, parting the dark mist as she went. The wraith Queen stopped, her face only inches away from the girl before her.

"Abomination" She snarled, " A disgusting excuse for a wraith, weak willed and weak minded... you will..." the wraith Queen chocked out the words, her face contorted and twisted, her eyes bulged. The expression in her eyes changed from anger to uncertainty, fear and confusion leapt inside her mind as she chocked for breath. Her eyes lay accusingly on the fearful face of her prisoner, as the oxygen starved from her mind and she fell limply to the floor.

She recoiled from the body of the wraith Queen, finally finding the ability to move she ran towards the door. The voices of the wraith on board became louder. They knew. She didn't know how, but she knew it was her. She had killed the wraith Queen. An alarm screeched through the ship, alerting all wraith to her actions. As she reached the door, the ship shook. Knocking her from her feet and sprawling her across the deck. Again the tremors came, swirling her stomach as she stood precariously. With careful steps she made it to the door, though before she could open it, it parted. Hanging to its frame for support, on the other side of the door, stood Michael.

" We're under attack," he said, grasping her hand firmly, though his touch was gentler than than of the wraith guards. He pulled her with him, moving quickly through the bucking corridors.

Vibrations coursed through the ship with every hit it received. These vibrations ran through Michael and his companion as the ran. With every step it numbed their knees and sent tingles through their legs. The corridors were deserted, she assumed the wraith were too busy dealing with their attackers to come after them. As they turned a corner she stopped involuntarily, her attention fixed on the figure on the ground. A wraith lay sprawled across the floor, his mouth gaping in desperation, his eyes wide and lifeless. Michael gently urged her forwards.

" It's been happening all over the ship. Could be a human weapon" he said thoughtfully as they went.

"I.. I thought maybe it was me, my fault" she thought back to the incident with the Queen. Michael looked at her curiously but didn't say anything.

Her arm ached where he was holding it, _I haven't eaten for so long,_ she thought as fatigue dragged at her. It bit into her muscles and burned her lungs with each breath.

"Do we have to run so fast?" she asked through strained breaths, " if the wraith are dying, its not like were in much danger." He looked at her as she said this and smiled slightly at her naivety.

"Actually we are in more, Without enough wraith to defend the ship we are losing to the Deadalus.".. "A human ship" he added seeing the blank expression on her face. He loosened his grip slightly, " Wraith randomly dropping dead, just as we are attacked has caused a lot of confusion, we're no match for the humans" he said frustrated. She thought back to the humans she had seen on the planet.

"They are here to retrieve their people" she asked rhetorically. He nodded at her, but she saw a glint of anger in his eyes.

" You don't like them very much, the humans?"

" Just these particular humans," he said coldly," I have my reasons" he added before she could ask. She knew not to press the matter.

"We should have left orbit," he said off handedly " sitting target here" She looked at him in surprise.

" We never left? why?" she asked incredulously. Wondering how they could be so foolish.

" This hive is made up of outcasts, it was severely damaged warring with another wraith faction, that's why they took us in. The Queen was overconfident to think that she could capture and use the humans, our hyperdrive had problems as we tried to leave."

The ship bucked violently, tipping them into the wall. The lights fluttered and dimmed. The subtle hum of the ship, that she hadn't noticed until that moment also disappeared. Leaving the ship in an unusual and eerie silence. Michael looked from side to side wildly.

A great look of concern crossed his face as he kicked the wall.

" That shot knocked out the central processor" he said gravely.

" Is that bad?" she asked, yet again feeling foolish for her ignorance.

" It controls a lot of vital systems, navigation, hyperdrive..."

" so, its not like this ship is in any position to go anywhere"

" Its not those systems i'm worried about. The central processor also controls our jamming device, without it, they could use their beaming technology to beam aboard a nuclear weapon, or worse." Her eyes widened, though she wasn't entirely sure what a nuclear weapon was. Michael seemed afraid of it. Adrenaline ran through her body, giving her muscles the enthusiasm they needed. This time, she grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her.

"We'd better be leaving then." she said lightly.

As they passes another corner, Michael grabbed her around the waist, lifting her from the floor and pulled violently backwards. His other hand cupped her mouth as she tried to yell in alarm. They leaned quietly against the wall, listening to the voices of the humans beyond. They both recognised the voices.

"We have to get out of here, now," said a whining, almost hysterical voice. " The ship's orbit is decaying, its going to crash into the planet"

" can you fix it?" asked a gruff voice.

" oh.. ask the impossible once again.." his pitch increased

" Rodney!" said a commanding tone.

" It would take weeks." his voice dripping with superior indignation.

One of them said something into his radio, as he did so, Michael emerged from their hiding place.

He stood there, staring at the large human, who's anger contorted face was framed by think dark locks. Michael smiled as the big one took a step forward, only to disappear into a beam of white light, along with the others. The sip shook again, this time tipping the ship's deck to almost vertical. They slid across the deck, tumbling into the wall at the end. An acrid smoke filled the air as the ship tumbled through the atmosphere of the planet.

Her lungs burned with the corrosive gases clogging the air around them. She felt herself being lifted from the ground, her head felt heavy, a dense fog covered her mind, smothering her consciousness. The air cleared and her breathing came easier. She felt herself being lowered to the ground again. She breathed deeply, inhaling the damp freshness of the soil beneath her, the sweet fragrance of grass, that prickled gently against her skin. This can't be real, she thought as her mind cleared.

"i'm sorry to rush you" Michael said, his voice full of concern, " but we can't stay here, its not safe." he pulled her up and she saw the devastation caused by the Wraith ship's plummet. A line of uprooted trees marked a trench miles long, the air was full of dirt falling to the ground, with smoke swirling through it from the hive ship, which seemed to have flattened slightly on impact.

Michael pulled her away from the sight of it, running further from the crash and deeper into the woods. The further she got the more it started to look familiar. She stopped suddenly, pulling him to a halt with her.

"We need to keep moving" he said almost desperately.

" I, I know where we are, i've been here before" she said, thoughtfully, scanning the woods. Michael looked around, understanding crossed his face.

" It's not far from where I found you," he said thoughtfully, " do you have a ship, a way to escape."

"Yes, yes its not far from here" a wide smile crossed her face as she ran in the direction of where she had left the ship.

Her smile didn't subside the entire way to the ship. She ran faster than before, her heart leaping with the thought that they would soon be away from this place, away from the wraith, the humans, and anyone that wanted to hurt her. The ship lay untouched where she had left it. Its door hung open, casting a thin beam of light across the ground in front of it. Michael moved tentatively towards it, but she did not share his apprehension, walking briskly through the door and down the corridor into the room that she had first known. Michael looked around the room as he entered, his attention drawn from one thing to another. She left him to rummage as she moved to a forward section of the ship.

" The power up will take quite a while" She yelled back to him, from the control room. Flicking switches and turning dials casually, it had been easy enough to interpret how the ship worked, along with other things, she seemed to simply know how to do, it came naturally. _Not that there was anything natural about her_, she thought wistfully to herself.

She walked back in to find Michael engrossed in some kind of report. She hadn't felt any desire to read the notes and reports the scientists had made about her, through Michael's expression made her curious about them. He looked up at her, his eyes sad pools. Her smile instantly fell from her face, he looked at her in silence, his face betraying his anxiety. The longer the silence grew the more impatient she became.

"What, tell me" she asked, trying desperately not to sound fearful.

"Your sick,..you"

"I feel fine" she cut in, trying to dismiss what he was trying to tell her.

"It's a virus, its what killed the other wraith." It says in the report that there was some kind of genetic mutation, it led to the virus being created, its works differently in you, because your a carrier, but eventually, you will feel sick, and then.." he couldn't continue, his affinity for this girl was hard for him to understand, but the last thing he wanted was for anything to happen to her.

"Oh..." she looked away from him, her eyes glistening, _I should have known it couldn't happen_, she thought self pitying, _that I couldn't actually be happy_. She didn't want to look at him, she knew that he cared, that he was taking this hard, but she didn't care right then. She was upset and she was angry, she didn't want to cheer up or calm down. From the first moment she had known, she had merely been pulled along by life, finally eager to be in control and now this. She thrust out with her anger, kicking the unit in front of her. She picked up objects from around her, their forms distorted by her tears. She threw them violently in all directions.

She didn't remember when he intervened, or how long he sat with her as she cried. They didn't talk, they just sat there, the engines thrummed gently beneath them. They stayed there in a calm, comfortable silence. Until a noise echoed outside the ship, breaking through the fragile silence. Suddenly aware that they were still in danger, Michael leapt up, he reached the door swiftly. Coming face to face with a Genii weapon, held by a Genii soldier.

Michael twisted to the side as the shot was fired, neatly singing the fabric of his clothes, but leaving his flesh undamaged. Before the Genii could fire again, Michael took hold of his arm firmly and used it to push him into the door. The Genii's head snapped back sharply as his face impacted the door, knocking off his hat and leaving him unconscious on the floor. She came to his side and looked at him, her hand a firm presence on his shoulder. He looked at her, almost apologetically, but she gave him a small reassuring smile and carefully stepped over the body.

"I'll wait outside" she said quietly, her voice still and cold, as though something in here had given up. Michael watched her leave, hesitantly watching the door for a second before striking at the chest of the Genii soldier. He felt the strength return to him, course through him, deep and reviving.

He found her just inside the door of the ship, standing close to the wall and curiously peering outside. The leaves outside shivered expectantly, the breeze rising and falling slowly. Weaving its way through the hair of the Genii who sat hidden, watching her right back. She looked at Michael as he approached her, unable to quite look him in the eyes, she let her gaze hang on him for barely a second before looking back to the trees.

"There out there, several of them, waiting for us." she whispered. "He sabotaged the ship" Michael listened and realised that the engines had stopped thrumming. "We can't take off, we're trapped."

"No, no, we can get to the stargate, its not far" Michael tried to install confidence intro his voice. She looked at him sadly.

"It will be guarded" her voice hopeless

Her voice stung him, knowing that she had already led go of life. She had to fight for it, He, needed her to fight for it.

" It's not the end," he grabbed her and forced her to listen to his words. "We'll find them, the ones who made you, we'll find someone, someone will be able to help... please" A flicker of hope glowed in side her, it swelled and grew, she believed him, believed that if it was possible, that he would make it happen. Light returned to her eyes and warmth returned to her smile.

"So, the stargate" she asked calmly, " how do we get there?"

"We separate" she shot him a fearful glance, " You know where the gate is, you can find it," he encouraged her, " I'll meet you there, there guards will be no trouble for us" his eyes urged her to trust him, and she did.

They leapt from their hiding place in unison. She ran to the left, he ran to the right. They kept their pace. She chanced a last look at him before she brought her focus fully to getting there. Her feet touched lightly on the ground, before springing into its next step. Michael called shadows to life, letting them fly among the Genii. Bullets raced around them, invisible to the eye, they cut sharply through the air, most nestling deep into the trunks of the trees. It wasn't long before the sound of the bullets faded and all sound of her Genii pursuers was swallowed by the canopy of the woods. She didn't allow her fear to slow her, her motion smooth, she swept across the ground.

She was so close now, she heard shooting in the direction of the stargate. Michael must have got there all ready. The shooting stopped, she would be there soon. The roaring sound she had heard before, lashed out loudly into the silence. Blue light once again shone through the trees, she could almost see it. She passed a tree, and another, so close. She stumbled suddenly, surprised by a sharp pinch in her lower back. She looked down at the open wound in her stomach. She lost the feeling in her legs as they fell away under her, crashing her into the dry shrubs lining the ground. Each breath tore sharply through her abdomen. She reached down to her stomach and held it, pushing deep against her wound. The ground around her was warm with blood and as it left her and took her heat with it. Her body shook, with shock and cold, jarring through her fragile body. She was so close to the stargate, she could see a silhouette pass across the great circular light, back and forth. She watched, unable to call to him, as he took one more look around, and disappeared into its fluid. Its light also vanishing seconds later, leaving her in the dark. She was dimly aware of voices calling to one another as she let go, closed her eyes, gave up.


End file.
